Tuesday, December 20, 2011

It is almost Christmas

Things have been super busy around here. I cannot believe it has been 11 days since I have posted. I am slowly starting to get better after my awful sickness. I still have a cough but at least I can breath again and I am able to run.

I have been reflecting lately about how different this Christmas will be for me. Last year I had just begun my journey to get healthy and lose weight. I was doing well and actually managed to continue to lose weight over the holidays last year. This year is so different. I have reached my goal weight and I am a runner. Oh my, I can't believe I wrote that. I am a runner!!! If you had told me last year that I would call myself a runner or that others would see me as a fast runner (funny. I am pretty slow) I would have laughed. This year though, leading up to Christmas I am running. I am training for 2 half marathons and oh yeah, I am eating cookies!!! I am at a place now where I can indulge and not gain because of the miles I put in and because my body has settled in here. Now I need to learn how to indulge moderately, I still have a tendency to binge and eat nothing but cookies. It will come I am sure.
Goal weight. All dressed to preform at my Christmas Concert

Onto running. Things have been going so well. I am finding my form much more easily and running has become a joy again. Thanks Tina. I am even getting some more speed. I think that once all of the snow is gone and I can run in fewer layers I may actually be faster than before I switched to minimalist shoes. I am continuing to run in my beach walkers. They feel so good and I am amazed at how waterproof they are. On my run last night it was a mix of slush, puddles, ice, snow, and some dry spots. I ran through at least 2 ankle deep puddles last night and didn't notice any water getting into my shoes. Amazing! 

My last long run was on Saturday. It was good but I was definitely bonking at the end. Run here. I had been indulging in a great number of cookies and chocolates for most of Friday and Saturday, but I have a much smaller stomach now so I didn't eat much else. I guess all that sugar wasn't what my body needed to go out and run for a couple of hours. Overall the run was great. The weather was amazing. 5ÂșC with a pretty strong westerly wind. I love chinooks!! It made me look forward to spring and running again when there is no snow and ice on the ground and I don't need a bazillion layers to keep me from freezing. The bonking came at the end of my run. By mile 8 I couldn't eat anymore of my fuel. My stomach was uneasy and I couldn't imagine putting anything else in there. I was running in an area that is newish to me. I had run out that way but never back. I had to stop and check my map on my phone because I was disoriented and didn't know where I was going. I did finally get going in the right direction and made it home. I was beat. I guzzled a chocolate milk and a large glass of water. Stretched out my IT bands then fell into the bath. I am not normally tired after a long run and I really wondered how on earth I was going to run a half marathon in 2 weeks.  Pictures from my long run.
 

Fast forward to last night. Run Here.
It was warm again last night and I was feeling great. I ate supper with the family and then quickly put on my gear. The noise and busy-ness of my kids was getting to me so I needed to get out!!! I set out without any set distance or time that I wanted to accomplish. I was going to do at least 4 miles. I ended up doing 7 miles and ran progressively faster as the run went on. It felt amazing to be running fast more quickly than normal. I got home feeling like I could have run for a lot longer. I guess I can do the half next weekend, as long as I eat real food along with my cookies.  I passed this house while running, it was so lit up the whole street seemed to glow.


And just because it is always a nut house here I thought I would share some of the pictures I took yesterday during the day.

First up Joey (2) helping to make scrambled eggs. Surprisingly we only found one shell while we were eating.

Goofy Pictures and a sweet picture of 2 of my girls. We are super excited for Christmas here. It is all sorts of crazy!! 





5 comments:

  1. Awesome! So glad to hear you are on the mend.

    I know what you mean about the holiday season.. this is the first time in my life that I didn't gain weight between Halloween and New Years.. and I've actually continued to lose..and better yet, haven't felt like I've deprived myself of anything.. no more resolutions about eating right and exercising because it's happening!

    And our boys have the Christmas crazies too... if there was just a way to harness all the energy around here, we would be set!

    Have a great week!

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  2. You certainly are a runner - I reckon your time at the HH was pretty good. I find that when someone now says "I'm a runner", the reaction is a nod of the head and the thought "yes, I get it".

    Peter

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  3. Awesome post! I'm always surprised at how warm/hot my feet feel in the beach walkers, and how waterproof they are. My feet are wet when I take them off, but it's sweat. I really like them for slushy runs, in fact I love them for slush, but they're not great on ice (nothing is, unless you put ice grips on) You are an amazing runner, and inspiration for so many of us that struggle to lose extra pounds, and then keep them off...it's a never ending battle. You do run fast compared to most beginner runners...some people just have an efficient form and everything just works together to allow them to have the speed without getting injured. You are blessed (in more ways than one), esp being able to leave the house for an immediate stress reliever run when all the kiddies get to you. I have 5 and I remember those crazy days when they were young..unfortunately I wasn't a runner then. Stay well and keep posting!

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  4. Thanks Peter. I was amazed at how well I did. I am hoping that the switch to minimalist doesn't make me too much slower this year. I am running a bit slower right now but I am hoping it is because of the ice and snow and bulk of clothing. I cannot wait until I can go out for a run in shorts again.

    Well Maria the Christmas season won in the weight battle but I am back on track. Just about back to my pre-Chrismas weight. I am being super careful this week because of the half-marathon on Saturday. It is supposed to be warmish so I am really looking forward to it.

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  5. I know what you mean about Christmas and the weight battle...but dedication gets it back off, and running makes it just a little bit easier. I'm sure you've figured out by now that running isn't the answer to being able to eat whatever you want...but it does help. I'm back to my pre xmas weight too thankfully, cuz every extra pound counts when you're out on the trails. Awesome time on the 1/2 btw, despite the different type of route than usual...dunno if I could do that many kms on an out and back. I'm excited to be trying my new shoes...hopefully they'll be one of my answers to running in the cold and ice. Happy New Year!

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